TheLoneRider
a seeker in search of Easter Eggs
Traveling

Touring Marina Bay Sands Mar 17, 2015

Touring Marina Bay Sands

Location: Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Ave, Singapore 018956

Round 1
I made a bold bid for a one night stay at Marina Bay Sands in exchange for my web services, touting to its management that the structure has become an identifiable global signature landmark for Singapore in the same iconic way the Eiffel Tower stands for France and Petronas Twin Towers for Malaysia...its presence heralding Singapore's message to the world at large that it has arrived...and all the superlatives you could gravy onto it. They replied saying they are considering my offer - I crossed my fingers. Then they said NO. Ha-ha. Oh well, that's life. Back to the drawing board.

Round 2
Undeterred, I sent them another email a few days later adding,

"Even though your office has already declined my offer to feature your hotel, I strongly feel it's only fitting that Marina Bay Sands should figure prominently in all my writings about Singapore, being the iconic landmark which people identify with Singapore. Your logo is conspicuously missing. Marina Bay Sands is not just a hotel but a Singapore flag draped in building-clothing. I hope you agree with me that one night at Marina Bay Sands is not too much given the goodwill mileage generated by giving a nomadic seeker a shout at the abundance of what a grand city can offer (again, in this context, Marina Bay Sands IS Singapore)...I hope you treat this case as an 'out of the box' PR campaign on your part. The conventional proprietary marketing campaign will not fit into this mold."
Touring Marina Bay Sands
Marina Bay Sands in the background

Mind you, I wasn't trying to flatter. I strongly felt about all those. But again, a NO. At least I can't be haunted by the spectre of 'should have done that', given my persistence.

Backdoor Route
It wasn't exactly a total rejection. They didn't open the front door, but they opened up a backdoor, adding in their email:

"However, we would be delighted to arrange for a weekday property tour for you that will include a viewing of one of our top suites as well as the Sands SkyPark"

Amy
I showed up at the meeting place and time with the lovely Ms. Amy who personally gave me a one-on-one tour. She also looks after Marina Bay Sands' external image - what is being said about Marina Bay Sands outside their proprietary and accredited channels. She toured me to their 3rd-tier suite - the 3rd most expensive and the SkyPark (where you see that curved surfboard on top of the 3 buildings). I asked her the most compelling questions - like who would spend US$6,000 for one night at that suite. She was very careful about her answers ensuring that the privacy of their well-heeled clients are not compromised.

Impressions
After touring the facilities of Marina Bay Sands together with the offerings of the nearby tourist attractions, I was wowed. In fact, in Singapore, I am wowed on every turn. I can walk in any direction and inevitably, I will come across something that will just wow me. Singapore is full of those. Marina Bay Sands though is perhaps at the apex with all the wow-factors. Its architectural design is unique and unrivalled. The opulence is over the top. At the lobby alone, there is a broad long section where the ceiling towers to 10 storeys high! At the price they charge for a room, they could have made a fortune constructing rooms out of that idle space. But no, it was left open to make a powerful statement not so much of design but more of arrival - as in, Singapore has arrived as a major league player on the global stage! Actually, it has long arrived, having captured the admiration and envy of much of the free world. This structure is only a long overdue validation of all that.

Ending Thoughts
The opulence, the price tag, the exclusivity of it all once again reminded me that the rich and privileged people live in a world too alien for the likes of you and me. Every once in awhile, getting a glimpse of that known but hidden world is a welcoming treat. Singapore is inspiring. It has shown the free world what a city-state can do in so short a time.

--- Gigit (TheLoneRider)
YOGA by Gigit Yoga by Gigit | Learn English Learn English | Travel like a Nomad Nomad Travel Buddy | Donation Bank Donation Bank for TheLoneRider

Thank you Ms. Elspeth and Ms. Amy



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Next stop: Power Yoga Class at Yoga Inc., Singapore


Google Map Singapore

tourist attractions in Singapore tourist attractions
  • Little India Little India - Little India is the main tourism hub in Singapore. Friday and Saturday nights become animated with the night market
  • Chinatown Chinatown -colorful and animated with Chinese ware shopping, sumptuous street food and hawker-style eats, try Ah Balling Peanut Soup
  • Orchard Road Orchard Road - upscale shopping and glitzy night life
  • Arab Street Arab Street - backpacker dorms, shisha smoking with Middle Eastern atmosphere
  • Singapore Zoo Singapore Zoo - experience the night zoo, S$38
  • Fountain of Wealth Fountain of Wealth - at Suntec City, largest fountain in the world (Guinness Book of Records in 1998), shop-til-you-drop
  • The Southern Ridges The Southern Ridges - best trekking trails in Singapore extending 10kms through lush forest canopy. Bring water, sunscreen and a hat
  • Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery - biggest Buddhist temple in Singapore
  • Marina Bay Sands Marina Bay Sands - Singapore's most iconic building and most expensive at US$5.5B. Imagine a surf board on top of three skyscrapers
hotels in Singapore hotel


USEFUL INFORMATION

Singapore Tips
  1. always ascertain the price of a dish before making an order - the price of a dish and the humble appearance of a small eating place could vary significantly
  2. be familiar with the MRT (train) as it is the most efficient mode of transport - no traffic. Save this image
  3. negotiating for a 10% discount is acceptable in reputable places, but in places like Lucky Plaza or Sim Lim Tower, you can bargain as low as you want
  4. tipping is not part of the culture...you can skip this part and save yourself some cash
  5. most establishments (including taxis) accept credit cards, so no need to carry an insane amount of cash with you
  6. keep your receipts as you may be able to get a refund of the 7% GST before your departure
  7. MRT shuts down at 11pm. You may end up taking a cab at night which is expensive to begin with, but at night, there is even a 50% surcharge. And you pay an even higher rate if you take a Mercedes Benz cab
  8. carry coins in case you need to use a public toilet
  9. if you are stationary on the escalator, stay on the left side. The right side is for people who walk up or down
Things to do, Places to go in Singapore
  1. Little India - along Serangoon Road, try fish head soup, lively painted shophouses, saris, gold bangles, spices and incense
  2. Chinatown - colorful and animated with Chinese ware shopping, sumptuous street food and hawker-style eats, try Ah Balling Peanut Soup
  3. Orchard Road - upscale shopping and glitzy night life
  4. Arab Street - backpacker dorms, shisha smoking with Middle Eastern atmosphere
  5. Singapore Zoo - experience the night zoo, S$38
  6. Fountain of Wealth - at Suntec City, largest fountain in the world (Guinness Book of Records in 1998), shop-til-you-drop, http://www.sunteccity.com.sg/fountain_of_wealth.php
  7. The Southern Ridges - best trekking trails in Singapore extending 10kms through lush forest canopy. Bring water, sunscreen and a hat (nparks.gov.sg)
  8. Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery - biggest Buddhist temple in Singapore
  9. Marina Bay Sands - Singapore's most iconic building and most expensive at US$5.5B. Imagine a surf board on top of three skyscrappers
Singapore Etiquette (do's and dont's)
  1. remove shoes when entering someone's home or entering a mosque or temple
  2. to be on the safe side, address people as Mr. or Ms. and the surname. Don't adddress them by the first name, unless expressly permitted to
  3. when dealing with Malays, who are generally Muslim, do not offer alcohol and offer a gift when departing - not upon arrival
  4. when dealing with Chinese people, initially refuse a gift before finally accepting it. It shows you are not greedy
  5. do not immediately open a gift in front of the giver. Do not wrap a gift in white - white is for mourning
  6. when dealing with a Muslim, use your right hand to shake hands, to offer anything, to eat
  7. refrain from talking politics or religion. Singapore is multi-cultural and there's a thin line when you cross that divide
  8. do not touch the top of someone's head. The head is considered sacred
  9. don't show the bottom of your foot as it is considered dirty
  10. don't point with your index finger as it is deemed rude (use your thumb to point)
  11. if you see a packet of tissue paper on a table in a hawker-style eatery specially during peak hours, it means it's reserved - look for another table. Sometimes they use an umbrella
  12. if you're a backpacker and look the part, try to dress up more appropriately. Your beach wear and dreadlocks may be out of place in this cosmopolitan city
  13. don't litter, don't chew gum, don't vandalize, don't write grafitti, don't smoke in public where prohibited, don't do drugs as you can be fined by plain clothes policemen or caught on CCTV cameras which are all over the city. Even a direct plea by the president of the United States may not help you! (Michael Fay incident)
Singapore Freebies
  1. Baba House - restored house of a wealthy 1920s Singaporean family. Free tour by appointment - Mondays 2pm, Tuesdays 6:30pm, Thursdays 10am and Saturdays 11am. (babahouse@nus.edu.sg)
  2. Southern Ridges - free use of the best trekking trails in Singapore extending 10kms through lush forest canopy. Bring water, sunscreen and a hat (nparks.gov.sg)
  3. Haw Par Villa - a theme park of Chinese mythological creatures created by the guys who brought you Tiger Balm! 262 Pasir Panjang Rd, +65 6872 2780, Hours: 9am-7pm, Ten Courts of Hell exhibit 9am-6pm
  4. Casinos - if you are a non-Singapore passport holder (read: a foreigner), you get to enter the 2 casinos free - Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands. Inside, you also can get free water, tea or coffee
Recent History of Singapore

Singapore is a small city-state 707.1 km2 and one of the youngest countries in the world with no natural resources. After WWII, it suffered from decaying infrastructure, social unrest and sluggish economic growth. Now, barely 60 years later, it ranks #3 in global GDP per capita, outranked only by Qatar and Luxemburg (2013 data from International Monetary Fund and the World Bank). For the last 16 years, it is voted the most liveable city in the world by ECA International. What exactly took place to make this a reality? Below is a recent history...in a nutshell:

  • 1818 - British Governor General of India appointed Lieutenant General Sir Stamford Raffles to establish a port of call for the British East India Company on the tip of the Malay peninsula to provide logistical support to their merchant fleet in their expanding trade between India and China. Singapore became the logical choice
  • 1832 - Singapore became the center of government of the Straights Settlements, which included 2 earlier acquisitions, Penang and Malacca, after becoming an important commercial and military center of British India
  • 1942-45 WWII - the Japanese occupied Singapore after the British capitulated
  • 1945 - Japan was defeated and the British regained control of Singapore. There was economic unrest, slow economic growth, high unemployment rate, labor strikes and decaying infrastructure. Singaporeans faced a housing shortage which would continue for a decade. This became breeding ground to a nationalistic awareness of the people, specially after realizing the British were not that invincible after their capitulation in WWII
  • 1959 still within the British Empire, Singapore became autonomous with Lee Kuan Yew as Prime Minister.
  • 1963 - Singapore unilaterally declared independence from Britain and joined the Federation of Malaysia along with Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak
  • 1964 - with simmering racial tension between the Chinese and the Malays, 2 race riots erupted in July and September killing 36 and injuring over 500. This was a wake-up call for Singapore to address racial issues. No one wanted a repeat of this. The peaceful co-existence of the Malays, the Chinese and the Indians of Singapore today stems from the hard lessons learned from this painful episode.
  • 1965 - Singapore left the federation after ideological conflict with member states. It gained full independence from the British with Lee Kuan Yew remaining Prime Minister
  • 1967 - Singapore becomes founding member of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)
  • 1968 - Britain pulls out of Singapore resulting in a 20% job-loss. This is aggravated by losing Malaya's economic support due to Singapore's departure from the federation. Economic prospect was bleak for Singapore. It was a trying episode in the country's history. With Lee Kuan Yew's strong leadership, Singapre took advantage of its strategic location and attracted foreign inverstors
  • 1960s - this decade saw the aggressive construction of public housing to address the long-standing housing crisis. High-rise low-cost housing complexes were built. Today (2015), up to 90% of Singaporeans live in these developments. New complexes are continuously being constructed in anticipation of population increase.
  • 1970s - USA and Japan made sizeable positions in Singapore's economy as the manufacturing sector continued its ascent with foreign-owned or joint-venture companies. Singapore's economic boom contunued unabated during the rest of the 1970s
  • 1980s - Singapore shifted its focus from labor-intensive manufacturing to high-tech high-value industries, becoming the leading producer of disk drives and parts, accounting up to 30% of its GDP from manufacturing. In the late 80s, it pushed its financial services sector as well to become top 3 as Asia's most important financial centers, together with Japan and Hong Kong. This shows how nimble Singapore is in adapting to emergent trends and technologies to keep its global competitive edge
  • 1990s - Singapore is now home to more than 650 multinational companies and a few thousand financial institutions. Goh Chok Tong succeeded Lee Kuan Yew
  • 1994 - Michael Peter Fay, an 18 year old American is caned for theft and vandalism. His sentence was reduced to 4 instead of 6 as a way to give face to American president, Bill Clinton, who asked for leniency. Proceeding with the caning despite a personal plea by a US president sent a strong statement to the international community that Singapore is not one to buckle down under American pressure. It gained Singapore global respect for its political resolve.
  • 2003 - Singapore is hit with the SARS virus outbreak as it spreads across Asia and parts of North America and Europe
  • 2004 - Lee Hsien Loong became Singapore's third prime minister. He is Lee Kuan Yew's eldest son
  • 2008 - recession hits Singapore as the US-caused sub-prime market meltdown ripples through the global financial landscape resulting in bank failures worldwide
  • 2010 - Marina Bay Sands opens to the public as the 2nd most expensive building in the world at US$5.5 billion (land included). Its stunning and unique architecture gives Singapore a globally identifiable iconic signature landmark similar to the Eiffel Tower of Paris, the Petronas Twin Towers of Malaysia and the Empire State building of New York
  • 2013 - Singapore suffers its worst haze, reaching 401 PSI due to uncontrolled forest fire in Indonesia
  • 2015 - Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong imposes tougher measures against corruption after a number of high-profile graft scandals rocks the political landscape
  • Mar 2015 - former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew passes on, ending an era of transition from third world to first world
Cost Index

US$1 = S$1.38 (Singapore dollar) = Php 44.10, as of Mar 7, 2015

Discounted Tour Prices (provided by Ideal Backpackers, tel 6846 4741)

As a general rule, you get tickets cheaper if you buy them outside the venue. Purchase the tickets through your hotel or travel agencies. Chinatown has numerous travel/tour agencies where you can buy tickets cheaper.

  • S$ 72 Universal Studios Singapore
  • S$ 30 Singapore Flyer (big ferries wheel)
  • S$ 33 Night Safari
  • S$ 25 Singapore Zoo
  • S$ 23 Jurong Bird Park
  • S$ 15 Tiger Sky Tower
  • S$ 30 Duck Tour
  • S$ 35 SEA Aquarium
  • S$ 26 Underwater World Singapore / Dolphin Lagoon
  • S$ 35 Adventure Cove
  • S$ 25 Jewel Cable Car, 2-ways
  • S$ 31 Hippo City Sightseeing Tour
  • S$ 18 Singapore River Explorer
  • S$ 25 River Safari
  • S$ 8 Merlion Cove
  • S$ 5 National Orchard Garden

Singapore Cost Index at backpacker places

  • S$ 1.50 1.5 liter drinking water
  • S$ 3-4.00 noodle soup with meat or rice meal at food courts in housing developments, otherwise S$ 5 in regular eating places
  • S$ 1 tea
  • S$ 22 dorm bed
  • S$ 1.5 sugar cane juice
  • S$ 3.20 flagdown, 22 cents/400m taxi, surcharge of 50% at night, additional surcharge if M Benz taxi
  • S$ 5 per 11kg load coin operated laundry
  • S$ 1 per 5 mins coin operated laundry dryer
  • S$ 1-2 internet cafe, usually it's $1.80 with no membership
  • S$ 2/k banana
  • S$ 35/session yoga, non-member drop-in
  • S$ 3.50 nasi goreng
  • S$ 22 40-min river cruise on Marina Bay
  • S$ xxxxx ticket
  • S$ one hour massage
  • S$ one mug draft beer
  • S$ bicycle rental

Price Busters

The best deals are usually in the big national groceries/supermarkets like Giant, Seng Song and Fair Price . They always have promos that are price busters!

  • S$ 2.70 2 veggies + 1 meat viand + rice at Rice Garden (in food courts within a housing development)
  • S$ 1.20 three 1.5 liters of Alpha Water at Fair Price grocery with promo
  • S$ 2.00 Roti Prata + tea, at regular Malay eating places, best value breakfast meal

Singapore Blogs by TheLoneRider

  1. Mini-Life in Singapore August 8-22, 2016
  2. Peoplescape of Singapore Aug. 8-22, 2016
  3. Discovering the Neighborhood Cafes of Singapore Aug. 8-22, 2016
  4. Biological Cell Regulation (BCR) Therapy at Chang Wellness Aug 16, 2016
  5. Getting my Xiaomi Redmi Note3 Smart Phone Aug. 9, 2016
  6. A Roof Over my Head in Singapore Aug 8-22, 2016
  7. 2-Hour Detention at Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority August 8, 2016
  8. Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew Mar 23, 2015
  9. Life Hacking in Singapore Mar 22, 2015
  10. Exploring More of Singapore Feb 21 - Mar 22, 2015
  11. Power Yoga Class at Yoga Inc., Singapore Mar 21, 2015
  12. Touring Marina Bay Sands Mar 17, 2015
  13. The Singapore Magic Mar 16, 2015
  14. Singapore Yoga at Yoga Inc. Mar 8, 2015
  15. Singapore on a Shoe String Feb 20, 2015
  16. Sex in Singapore? Oct 20, 2013
  17. Singapore Girl July 21, 2013
  18. Lee Kuan Yew and Ferdinand Marcos Jan 26, 2003
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